Expectant Moments
by new adventures
Summary: The gestation of a human is 40 weeks. That is a long adventure for anyone, and when you throw Kensi and Deeks into the mix, you never know what can happen!
1. Chapter 1

It was Monday morning in Los Angeles. The relentless summer sun was beating down, the usual hectic morning commute was in gridlock all over the city, and coffee was being consumed at an alarming rate. Inside the unassuming, dilapidated looking mission-style OSP center, three men sat at their desks working on unfinished reports and files. The fourth desk in the area was empty. Except for the clacking of laptop keyboards, it was unusually quiet.

"Anyone seen Kensi this morning?" Callen spoke up. "Deeks, any idea where your partner is?" he asked, looking across at the shaggy detective.

"Nope. I have no idea. She didn't want to carpool today, so haven't heard from her since last night. Maybe they were out of donuts at her usual place," Deeks replied laughing. "I could have Eric track her if you're really concerned," he added, "but I would give her a couple more minutes. Maybe she needed the donuts, special coffee and large breakfast burrito today – that would definitely add time to her commute."

Sam looked up from his files with a smile and shook his head at his two co-workers. "You know she'd kill you if she could hear you right now." Suddenly the heavy wooden door from outside flung open and Kensi burst in. She had an agitated look on her face and headed straight for the bullpen. "Batten down the hatches," Sam muttered quietly.

In one fluid motion, Kensi threw her bag on her desk and walked to stand in front of Deeks' desk. "Deeks, you and me in the armory, NOW!" she shouted at him, turning on her heels and heading out of the bullpen.

"Uh, no thanks. I'll pass." Deeks replied, looking up in her direction.

Kensi stopped in her tracks. "You what?" she shouted back at him. Her eyes were wide and full of fire.

Callen and Sam looked back and forth between the partners, not sure whether to smirk or duck out of the way.

"You just stormed in here in a less-than-lovely mood, princess, and ordered me to meet you in a room filled with weapons and ammunition. Like I said, no thanks. Pass." Deeks went back to typing away on his laptop.

"He's got a point," Callen said. After the glare he received from the lone female agent, he decided he really needed a cup of coffee, on the other side of the mission. Sam mumbled something about a workout in the gym starting now, and exited as quickly as he could.

Kensi glared at her partner a moment longer, then turned and walked back outside where she had just come from without saying a word. When she didn't return after about ten minutes, Deeks' curiosity got the best of him. _"I hope she's gotten off whatever crazy train she was riding,"_ he thought to himself and stood up from his desk. Cautiously he opened the door to the courtyard and saw Kensi leaning against the wall. Her eyes were closed and she was rubbing her temples with both hands.

"Kens… um, what's up? You're not carrying right now, are you?" he asked with trepidation, running his hand through his blond locks. "Look, whatever it was that I apparently did to piss you off, I'm sorry, I won't do it again, you were right, I was wrong, and you are the best partner and friend a guy could have." There, that should cover all the bases.

She let out a long sigh. How was she going to tell him? How do you delicately phrase what she was about to tell him? They were about to embark on something very un-partnerly and unplanned. Screw it; she wasn't in the mood to think of alternate phrases and cutesy sayings. She was just going to tell him.

"You want to know what you did?" Kensi snapped at him. "Do you remember that week we had to stay in San Diego for the Garcia case? Well, you're about to become a father," she spoke quickly.

"What?" he asked staring straight at her. He was not expecting news like this.

"I'm … I'm pregnant Deeks. About 9 weeks along if you want to know. That's what you did. And you're right, you won't do it again," Kensi replied with slightly less bite in her bark.

"Wow. Um, ok, wow. And just for the record, this isn't something that just I did. This is definitely a 'we' thing, Fern. I specifically remember you being there, too, and having a very active role in the, um, baby-making process…" Deeks' words drifted off and he had a far-off dreamy look in his eyes.

"Your mind is already back in San Diego isn't it?" Kensi huffed at him. Her hands had dropped from her temples to her hips.

"Yeah…" Deeks said slowly with a grin. "Wait, how did you know?" he protested.

"I just know you Deeks. It's a simple game of word association. Most people when they hear the word 'pregnant' think of babies and pink and blue and diapers. But not you; you hear the word 'pregnant' and immediately think of two naked people having sex and doing what we did to get me pregnant."

"You do know me so well partner. Admit it, though – you're thinking back to those nights, too, and all the Kensi and Deeks private time we had. Which reminds me, why haven't we had more of that private time since we've been back?" Deeks smirked at her.

"I was not thinking the same thing as you, Deeks."

"You are now," Deeks laughed. Kensi opened her mouth to make a remark, then changed her mind. Her face softened a little and Deeks felt like he didn't have to fear bodily harm anymore. There was a hint of a smile on her face and she relaxed her hands and arms.

"Damn it Deeks. I just had the pregnancy confirmed at the doctor this morning. I am upset and scared and freaking out. This isn't something I saw myself doing for several years yet. It's certainly not something we've ever discussed doing together. I came straight here to tell you because I didn't know what else to do, and you know exactly what to say and do to make me smile and feel a tiny bit better," Kensi explained. "I hate that about you."

Deeks reached out and grabbed Kensi's hands in his own. "Actually I think you mean that you love that about me. It's going to be ok. We'll take this one day at a time – together. And besides, it's my job to make you feel better, partner. That's what I do. Well, in addition to that, apparently," he grinned, pointing at her belly.

To be continued…

* * *

A/N: This isn't going to be your typical pregnancy fic. None of that "he got me pregnant and now we are automatically madly in love" stuff. This is going to be more like a collection of moments throughout the 40-ish weeks and how Kensi and Deeks deal with this new adventure as only they can without being overly mushy. At least that's my goal :-)


	2. Chapter 2

_Thanks for the wonderful reviews and all the followers already! The adventure begins for Kensi and Deeks - enjoy the ride!_

**CHAPTER 2**

Everyone was up in ops getting briefed on a new case. Eric and Nell tag teamed the presentation in their usual way, finishing each other's sentences and swiping one image after another on the big screen. Callen assessed the situation and started assigning roles for each agent. "Sam, you and I will head over to the crime scene and have a look around for ourselves. I'd like Deeks and Kensi to head over to the trucking company that our suspect works for. Talk to his supervisor, co-workers. Eric, can you backstop them as truck drivers looking for work? It's just in case you guys need a cover story while asking around."

Kensi shook her head at Callen. "That's not going to work Callen. I can't do that anymore. Sorry," she said shrugging her shoulders. Having to turn down a field assignment, even an innocent sounding one, was so hard.

"What do you mean Kens? This is your job, this is what I am assigning you and your partner to do," Callen looked at her confused.

"What I meant to say is that I'm under doctor's orders. I can't go out in the field for several months," she clarified before a yawn escaped her. She had been feeling so tired lately - apparently creating a baby was a lot of work. Deeks looked at her but didn't say a word. He wasn't sure who all Kensi had told about the pregnancy yet.

Callen looked over Kensi slowly. "Doctor's orders? Are you sick? I didn't realize there was something serious going on with you. Are you ok?" he asked.

"Didn't Hetty tell you?"

"Tell me what? What is going on and why am I the last to know when it comes to a case?"

"Mr. Callen." The operations manager walked into ops just at that moment. "I am sorry I haven't had a chance to relay the news to you sooner. Director Vance had me on the phone on a rather pressing matter. Ms. Blye is correct; she is no longer authorized to be in the field. She is under doctor's orders and NCIS protocol to remain strictly on desk duty until the resolution of her situation," Hetty explained. She then turned to Kensi. "Do you want to tell everyone, or shall I?"

"Go ahead Hetty," Kensi nodded. She looked at her partner, who looked a little nervous at the idea of everyone finding out right now.

"I was notified this morning that Ms. Blye and Mr. Deeks will be welcoming a child into this world in approximately seven months. In order to keep both Ms. Blye and the child as safe as possible, she will be on desk duty for the remainder of her pregnancy. Ms. Jones, you will be on stand-by to be Mr. Deeks' partner in the field should the need arise. Mr. Callen, if you have any further questions, please come see me."

No one said anything and no one moved. They were all staring at Kensi and Deeks. Everyone knew they had a "thing", but as far as they knew those two had never acknowledged it let alone started dating.

"You guys are all trying to picture us doing it, aren't you?" Deeks said breaking the ice.

"Eww."

"Not even close."

"Thanks for that disturbing image."

The teammates took turns expressing their disgust at Deeks' thoughts. Kensi just hit him.

"Ow. Really Kens? You're going to abuse the father of your child? Not cool."

"I believe you all have a case to start working on. I expect results quickly. Ms. Blye, you can stay here and help Ms. Jones and Mr. Beale," Hetty ordered before walking out.

Kensi sighed. "Yes, Hetty." "_This is going to be a long freaking pregnancy_," she thought and sat down in a chair next to Nell.

* * *

_A few weeks later… _

Just after lunch, Deeks walked into the bullpen with a shopping bag. He set it on Kensi's desk, where she sat finishing up her food from lunch. "Working lunch?" he asked.

"Yes. This desk duty thing sucks. Did you know that desk duty actually means '_office slave and completer of all paperwork_'? I can't even begin to tell you how many trees I've killed off," she rambled before noticing the bag. "Wait, what is this? Is this from you?"

"Yep, I thought I would save you a trip since I know you have a very busy day today," Deeks answered.

"What is it?" she asked cheerily while looking inside. Kensi pulled out two pairs of jeans and her face suddenly changed. "You bought me jeans? Size 4 jeans!? Do you think I'm fat now? Is that what this is about? I'm pregnant and fat already and I have to wear big baggy pants 'cause my regular jeans are too tight, and you don't want to be seen with me and are going to disappear and I will have to raise this b-baby alone and… and…." Kensi broke down sobbing.

Deeks looked at her with a mix of panic and concern. He wasn't sure what was happening. "Whoa, hey Kens, it's ok. I was just helping you out. You – you left a note on your counter that said 'need size 4 jeans.' I saw it when I brought you donuts this morning. I knew you had a busy day and since I was out at the precinct, I thought I would help you out and pick them up for you on my way here," Deeks tried to calmly explain, not believing this would spark an outrage from Kensi. "I got the brand you like from your favorite store."

"But they're so b-b-big," she wailed while holding up one of the pairs. "I'll never look the same again." She put her head down on her desk sobbing, and motioned to Deeks to leave her alone.

Eric walked up to the railing and was just about to whistle the crew up when he saw Kensi crying. "NELL! You're needed downstairs pronto!" he called out over his shoulder. "Uh, the rest of you down there are needed up in ops – we got a case."

"Kensi, I'm on my way!" Nell yelled out while running down the stairs with a box of tissues and several Twinkies in hand.

The three men made their way to the stairs as Nell rushed past. "Deeks, a little word of advice. Never, and I repeat NEVER, buy a pregnant woman clothes. You ALWAYS let her pick them out herself – no matter what she says. I've been there, done that, and learned the hard way. All the SEAL training in the world couldn't save me from my pregnant wife's wrath when I made the same mistake you just did," Sam said sympathetically. He patted Deeks on the back and wished him luck.

"Ok. It's ok. I'm here Kensi; the men are all gone. Let's go sit on the couch and you can enjoy these while we talk, alright?" Nell asked her friend. She gave Kensi a hug before leading her over to the couch.

"Thanks Nell. You know just what I need," she replied while taking a Twinkie in one hand and a tissue in the other.

* * *

When Kensi hit the 13 week mark of her pregnancy, she and Deeks went to her doctor's office for the scheduled ultrasound. It was just supposed to be a quick one to make sure the baby was in the correct spot in the womb and growing as expected. The nurse led them to the exam room after taking Kensi's weight, temperature, heart rate and blood pressure. She instructed Kensi to lie down on the exam table and the doctor would be in shortly. Deeks sat in a chair next to the table.

"Hi Kensi, how are you feeling today?" Dr. Kaiser asked as she walked into the room. She looked over at Deeks and extended her hand. "And you must be the daddy."

"Dr. Kaiser, this is Marty Deeks. He's my partner – my work partner – not my _partner_ partner, like a boyfriend or husband or whatever, just partners. And yes, he's also the baby's father. It's complicated," Kensi said flustered. She always had a hard time explaining their relationship even though it made sense to her and Deeks, or at least it did before this baby came into the picture.

"Relax Kensi, it's fine. We see all types of family dynamics in here," the doctor reassured her. "I'm going to manually press on your abdomen first to check, and then we will get to the ultrasound, ok?"

Kensi laid on her back while the doctor massaged her belly, feeling to make sure things were where they should be at this point. Then she pulled the cart with the sonogram equipment closer. A quick squeeze of gel onto her belly and they were ready to see the baby.

"Wow that's cold!" Kensi exclaimed. Deeks stood up next to Kensi so he could see better as grainy images appeared on the screen. Deeks looked at the screen for a few minutes before speaking, not sure if he was supposed to ask questions or not.

"Is it just me, or does it look like we created a blizzard in there? I don't see anything that looks like a baby."

"Everything looks great in there. I see one fetus with one heart beating. Let me see if I can get a better angle to show you," Dr. Kaiser said. She adjusted the wand on Kensi's belly. "Here we go. It doesn't look too much like a baby yet, but this round blob that is flickering is the baby's heart and it has a strong heartbeat. This line here is the umbilical cord, this end is the baby's head, and the short lines you see here are the legs." She pointed out each part on the screen as she showed them.

Kensi laid there staring at the screen. She was trying to grasp everything – she was really having a baby. This little being was inside her right now and she was going to be a mother. She didn't know how to voice her thoughts and emotions so she just kept staring at her baby.

Deeks smiled big at the image on the screen and grabbed Kensi's hand. "That is so cool! Thank you, doctor. Wow! Kens, we did that. We made that!" His excitement was getting the best of him in the moment. The doctor handed them a print out of the sonogram and excused herself to give them a moment alone.

Kensi and Deeks awkwardly looked at their hands, fingers still entwined from when Deeks grabbed her hand in his excitement. They dropped hands and Deeks took a step back. Kensi finally spoke up. "It's amazing isn't it? Now that I've seen her or him, it's so much more real, you know? It's like when I see a target through the scope on my rifle – it's no longer a hypothetical thing in the distance, it's a real thing and in focus and I can see it. That's kind of how it is now with our baby."

Deeks stared at her with his mouth hanging open. "Did you just seriously compare our baby to a target at the receiving end of your sniper rifle? This. Changes. Everything."

"What? What does this change Deeks?" Kensi asked as she sat up and wiped the gel off her belly.

"You, Miss Kensi Blye, are a violent woman."

"You knew that already when you seduced me in San Diego – and you liked it that way if I recall."

"Yeah but I didn't know to what extremes your violent tendencies ran. Wow. You never cease to amaze me Sugar Bear. Mixing babies and guns," he shook his head.

"This coming from a man who goes through life resembling a cartoon character from the Mystery Inc. gang?"

"At least I don't want to line up our child and take a shot at like, a really far distance."

"No, you'll just feed him or her a steady diet of Scooby snacks while teaching it phrases like 'zoinks' and 'jeepers'. I think it's fair to say we will inflict equal parts of dysfunction on our child without too much effort," Kensi concluded.

"Cartoons are way better than snipers, especially when it comes to parenting. Besides, when it comes to snacks, I think you have that department covered already. I can only imagine what that child is going to be forced to eat – Twinkies, Ho Ho's, Kit Kats, every type of donut from here to the east coast…" he said shaking his head from side to side.

"Shut it, Deeks." She threw the paper towel she had used on her belly at him.

"Eww, get it off! Get it off!" he exclaimed jumping around. "It's all gooey."

Kensi smiled at him as she hopped off the exam table. "Just sharing the experience, Shaggy."

* * *

Chapter 3 will take them into the second trimester - who knows what can happen then...


	3. Chapter 3

_always appreciate your feedback, so thank you! For all my American readers, Happy Independence Day this week, and for my international readers - happy first week of July!_

**CHAPTER 3**

_Wednesday morning…_

"Good morning Sunshine!" Deeks greeted his partner as he set a box down on Kensi's desk.

"Are these what I think they are? Thank you – I'm starving!" Kensi wasted no time in flipping open the top of the box and lifting one of the frosted pastries to her mouth. "Mmm, I love these. Deeks, the baby and I both thank you. You know exactly what makes us happy in the mornings," she replied between mouthfuls of donuts.

"You're welcome," he said simply as he sat back and watched his partner devour two in a row with barely a breath in between.

Kensi noticed Deeks was watching her. She stopped mid-bite and looked at him. "What? Am I supposed to share these? I thought maybe they were all for me."

"Nope, they are all yours," Deeks said laughing. "It's just, you have a little, uh, extra frosting right there," he said pointing to the left side of her face.

"Yum! I am so glad I didn't end up with any of those weird food aversions that I've read about other women getting. I can't imagine not being able to start my day any other way," Kensi mused while reaching into the box for another treat.

_Thursday morning…_

Deeks arrived in the bullpen before Kensi. He placed a box of donuts on her desk, like yesterday.

"Donuts two days in a row? She must really have you trained," Callen smirked from his desk.

"Trained? No, it's not like that. We just have an understanding. I do things that she likes to keep her happy, and then I get to stay happy, too," Deeks replied as he took his seat.

"Mmm hmmm. Sure, Deeks. If that's what you need to tell yourself, go right ahead," Sam chuckled.

"Plus, I think I finally have this pregnancy-food-eating-likes-and-dislikes thing figured out. It's not as hard as some guys make it sound. Kensi is pretty consistent with her food groups," Deeks added.

Kensi slowly walked in a few minutes later. She dropped her bag on the floor next to her desk then started to sniff the air. With a disgusted look on her face, she noticed the box on her desk. "Those smell horrible! Deeks, what are you trying to do to me? Get those disgusting things off my desk and gone now. Ugh, I think I'm going to throw up," she shouted as she rushed off.

"Yep, she must be pregnant alright. If I didn't believe it before, I do now. Kensi Blye just referred to donuts as 'disgusting things,'" Sam said shaking his head.

"So much for no food aversions…" Deeks said as he retrieved the box and headed to the break area.

_Friday morning…_

Kensi had been sitting at her desk for about twenty minutes, restlessly fidgeting the whole time. Twice she had opened her mouth to ask him a question, then changed her mind. It wasn't that big of a deal. But now after more time had passed and he hadn't said anything to her about it, she had to find out.

"Um, Deeks, what happened to you this morning?" Kensi started.

"Let's see, I walked Monty, went surfing, stopped by my favorite diner for a quick bite and then ended up here. Nothing out of the ordinary; why?" he replied without looking up from his work.

"Did you forget something?"

"I don't think so. I brushed my teeth and I'm wearing pants," he grinned at Callen.

Kensi hated to do it, but she brought out her pouty lips. "I thought you were going to get me and the baby our favorite breakfast treats. You know, the ones with powdered sugar and frosting and sprinkles."

"You said yesterday that you couldn't even stand the smell of them, so I figured I better not upset you with any today," Deeks replied.

"Deeks, try to keep up. That was yesterday. Today we would like our yummy morning pastries, please. Oh, and we would like one of those breakfast burritos that's as big as your head from that one place just down the street," Kensi said, rubbing her slightly rounded belly as she placed her order. "And a large coffee."

"You can't drink regular coffee. Doctor said so. You have to watch your caffeine levels, and you inhale enough chocolate daily to fill that quota. I can get you a nice large decaf if you want," Deeks offered.

"That's no fun. What's the point of decaf?"

"If I ever find someone who actually drinks it, I'll let you know," Callen replied as he lifted his own coffee cup to his lips. "Ahhhhh!"

"Fine, get me a smoothie then," Kensi sighed.

"Yes, dear," Deeks mumbled as he headed out.

Just before noon that same day, Sam announced that it was Deeks' day to go get lunch for the team. Since he had just gotten back from Kensi's breakfast order a few hours earlier, he wasn't eager to go out for more food. However, it was his turn and he agreed to go. He got orders from Sam and Callen, then headed over to Kensi's desk.

"Hmm, I would like 2 tacos, a chicken sandwich, a dill pickle, a small bowl of fruit salad, and a brownie. Oh, and a bottle of water. Thanks Deeks," she said smiling at him.

"Really, you want all that for lunch? I mean, I know you're eating for two, but isn't that kind of a long list?" Deeks asked her, not noticing Callen making a gesture in the background that clearly meant _shut up now_.

"You knocked me up. You don't get to question my meal choices, beach boy."

Deeks forced a smile on his face. "Whatever makes you happy."

"And here I thought you had this food thing all figured out," Sam laughed as Deeks walked out the door.

* * *

_A few weeks later, in the bullpen…_

"You ok, Deeks? You look like you haven't slept in days," Sam pointed out.

Deeks yawned before answering. "I'm fine, just tired. I haven't actually slept much lately."

"LAPD got you working a case or something?" Callen asked looking up from his newspaper.

"No, they've been leaving me alone. It's Kensi. She's been keeping me up pretty late."

"What for - baby stuff? Food cravings? Is she doing ok?" asked Callen with a mix of concern and curiosity in his voice.

"Yeah, they're fine. The baby is great and Kensi is fine, too. That's the problem." Deeks yawned again and put his head down on his desk.

"Really? I would think a sane Kensi in the midst of all those hormones would be a good thing. My wife was nuts when she was pregnant," Sam said.

Deeks picked his head up and looked at Sam. "See, that's the issue – her hormones. They've made her into some sort of monster. Like a really, really horny monster. Not the kind with actual horns, like a rhinoceros, but the kind that wants to do it ALL the time," Deeks sighed.

"You're complaining about sleeping with Kensi? I thought that was your dream. Wait, so this means you guys are really together now? I've lost track," Callen grinned at the detective.

"No, we're not together-together, at least I don't think so. I don't know, we don't really talk about our thing much. And wait, how did you know about my dream?"

"So there is a thing?" Sam inquired.

"Maybe? And I'm not complaining about WHAT we're doing. It's just that, it's like all the time, and more than once every night. She doesn't let me sleep, ever."

"Hold on, let me get this straight. You have an incredibly gorgeous, smoking hot woman, who happens to be carrying your baby already, and she wants to have you naked in her bed as often as possible, and you're not happy with that arrangement? Why are you whining again?" Callen resisted the urge to walk over and slap Deeks upside his head.

"Ugh, you don't get it. She's like an animal – seriously she attacks me the minute I step into her apartment. She rips my clothes off me; in fact I'm looking for a tailor to fix a few tears and replace some buttons. And it seems like no matter what I do or don't do, she gets turned on by it. I mean, I know it's hard for the ladies to keep it under control when I'm around, but seriously? I sit on the couch to watch the news and she's on my lap before I know what's happening. Who gets turned on by world events? I take out the trash and she's waiting inside the door to pounce on me the minute I return. I hate to say it but I need a break from all the activity. I'm don't want to say anything to her though cause I'm afraid of her going all Jekyll and Hyde on me. Or –"

"— or you getting cut off completely," Callen finished for him.

"Exactly," Deeks agreed. "What's a guy to do?"

Sam and Callen looked at each other and then answered Deeks in unison. "Dude – you enjoy it as much as you can! Sleep later."

* * *

_more pregnancy adventure to come in the next chapter..._


	4. Chapter 4

_So I actually got another chapter finished before the holiday, so here you go. Enjoy!_

**CHAPTER 4**

"Hey Kensi, where did you put those old files on Henderson?" Callen asked looking through papers on his desk.

"What files?" she asked as she looked at her team leader.

"The ones I asked you to get for me this morning. We were up in ops; Eric made the connection between our current case and one of your cold cases. I asked you to pull out your old paper files on the guy, and you said you would have them on my desk by 11 am. It's 11:10 now and I don't see them. I need to look them over before I can proceed further," Callen said.

"I said that? Hmm, I don't remember talking about Henderson. Let's see, after ops I came back down to my desk for something, then I really had to pee. After that, I remember helping Deeks pull up a file on the computer, and then Nell needed me for something. Maybe I pulled them and left them on Deeks desk?" she said while walking over to his work space. "Huh. I don't see the files. I can't believe I forgot about getting them for you. I'm really sorry Callen. I'll go get them right now," Kensi said as she walked out toward the archives room.

A few minutes later she handed the Henderson files to Callen. "I'm really sorry again Callen. It must have just slipped my mind. I guess it's true what they say - you lose brain cells when you're pregnant. I can't afford to lose any, not in this job. Ugh, I am so ready for this kid to get out of me."

Callen laughed. "Yeah, if you're not careful by the end of this thing, you'll be sharing brain waves with Deeks." Although he respected and trusted Deeks the same as everyone else on the team, he couldn't help joking about the goofy detective now and then. But only when said detective was out of the building.

"Thanks for that reminder, G. I need to go shoot something now before I get depressed," Kensi said seriously.

"Ms. Blye, you know you are not allowed to be firing weapons anymore, even in the range," Hetty spoke up from her desk.

"Then I'm going to go beat the crap out of something in the gym, Hetty."

"It will have to be a low-impact workout. No punching or hand to hand fighting or sparring. Doctor's orders."

Kensi marched over to Hetty's desk. All Callen could see was a pissed-off Kensi motioning wildly and shouting at Hetty. He couldn't hear the actual words being said, but he guessed they weren't the friendliest. Hetty stood up behind her desk to speak back at Kensi and made a few gestures herself. Kensi stopped speaking and glared at Hetty with fiery eyes. The small woman slowly sat back down and Kensi stormed off, still upset. Callen shook his head and went back to the Henderson files.

_Later on that afternoon…_

"Has anyone seen Hetty?" Callen asked his teammates.

"Nope, not since this morning," Sam replied. Kensi muttered something unintelligible under her breath when Callen mentioned her name.

"I have to find her. Something isn't sitting right with me about this latest case," Callen said as he walked off in search of Hetty. He went upstairs and circled around, looking through unused rooms until he finally found her in Nate Getz's old office.

"What are you doing up here? I need to talk to you about this case you assigned us."

"I thought I would work up here for a change. Nate really had a nice office location, and I needed some quiet this afternoon. Sometimes a change of scenery can do wonders for one's productivity," Hetty stated.

"Hetty, you're not… No, not you. You wouldn't. I mean, she can be a little intimidating, but you're not actually hiding from Kensi, are you?" Callen stared in wonder at his mentor.

"Mr. Callen, in the ancient art of ninjutsu, the warriors were taught that if the odds were in their opponent's favor, they were to run away. There is no glorious death in battle, no honorable fight to the finish. A ninja uses any means to escape, so as to return later and finish the job," Hetty explained.

"That sounds like you want to kill Kensi. Isn't that a little drastic?"

"No. Mr. Callen. I have no intention of harming Ms. Blye. I am merely letting her cool down, and avoiding any further scenes today. My mission is to keep her and her child safe, but also to keep her pride and sense of worth to this team intact. She has had a hard time adjusting to all the changes in her life and accepting that she has limitations here at work. Acting like a mother hen, or putting one of my agents in a time-out, is not accomplishing that mission."

"That must have been quite the argument the two of you had. I've never seen you hide from anyone."

"I'm not hiding, Mr. Callen. You found me. Now what did you need to discuss concerning the case?"

* * *

Deeks had spent a long day at the LAPD precinct, and hadn't seen or heard about Kensi's outburst with Hetty. After finishing up his work, he had sent Kensi a text asking if she wanted him to come over with dinner. She responded with a resounding YES! He walked into her apartment a half hour later, carrying a pizza and two milkshakes. Kensi was sitting on the couch, watching TV and crying. He set the food down on the coffee table and sat down beside her.

"Hey, Fern, what's wrong?" he asked gently.

"It's just, s-s-so sweet, you know?" she said between sniffles.

"What is? What are you watching?"

She motioned to the TV screen. "The little boy… and his mom… he, he falls down…. And then the mom brings him a new bandage and covers the scrape and the boy gives her a big hug…"

"You're talking about the commercial?" Deeks asked dumbfounded, looking at the screen.

"Oh my gosh, Deeks, do you not have one sensitive bone in your body? Those Band-Aid people really know what they're talking about; they're good," she replied.

"They are selling a first aid supply Kens."

"They are showing the love a mother has for her injured child. How can you not see that?" Kensi stared at him in disbelief.

"Ok, time to change the channel. How about this one?" Deeks grabbed the remote and switched to a different station.

Kensi watched quietly for a few minutes before starting to sob again. She grabbed several tissues from the table next to her and dabbed at her eyes.

"Really? What's wrong with this one? It's Animal Planet – wild and crazy nature," Deeks pondered out loud. He had no idea what was going on with Kensi, but he was pretty sure the hormones were to blame.

"It's a mother lion, and her cubs, and she's teaching them everything they need to survive. God I have no idea how I am going to do that – how we are going to do that. This kid is doomed; I'm going to be a horrible mother. I don't know how to do all that," Kensi sobbed while pointing to the TV.

Deeks held one of her hands in his. "Kens, look at me. That is a lioness ripping flesh off a wildebeest and sharing it with her cubs. I don't think you're going to need to do that. I promise I will go to the grocery store anytime you need me to so that you don't have to give our kid wildebeest flesh," Deeks told her as seriously as he could.

"You – you would do that? For me? For us?" she sniffled and rubbed her belly.

He can tell she's genuinely worried about the prospect of being a good mother. Even though she would never admit it to anyone, he can see that motherhood is one thing she isn't sure she can handle on her own. "Yes, of course. I told you from the beginning that we are doing this together. We will support each other. I will do anything to make sure you and the baby have what you need. You can trust me on this, Kensi," Deeks assured her.

"Why are you so good to me? I'm such a mess. I cry over dumb things, I can't remember anything, I never know what kind of mood I'm going to be in, and I make you do the stupidest things for me. I attacked you and ripped your clothes off. I can't do everything I used to do, and I feel so helpless. You don't have to put up with me, you know."

"Why do I do it? Because you are an amazing woman, Kens. You are giving me the best gift I could possibly imagine by bringing our child into this world. Because even though I know you are extremely capable of doing anything you put your mind to, you shouldn't have to do any of it alone. And because as much as you are concerned with being a good mother, I am concerned with being a good father. I need to start practicing now."

She didn't know how to respond to his words – they were so kind and thoughtful. It really touched her that he was always there for her and the baby. She looked up into his tender blue eyes, and it dawned on her that this pregnancy wasn't just about her and the baby. It was about him, too. He was experiencing everything right alongside her – although in different ways – and he had worries and fears just like her. Instead of saying anything more, she reached out and wrapped her arms around him, enveloping him in as close of a hug as her enlarging belly would allow. He wrapped his arms around her and enjoyed the quiet closeness. He knew exactly what she was trying to say with her embrace. "You're welcome," he whispered in her ear.

* * *

_Let me know what you think. I have a few more chapters left in this story, and I really appreciate everyone's feedback. It's a fun story to write._


	5. Chapter 5

_Thank you all so much for your support of this story! I can't believe there are 86 people following it, as of this posting. I am loving all your feedback and reviews. Some of my ideas have come from your comments, so thank you for the inspiration. Here's the next few moments of this adventure..._

**CHAPTER 5**

His lips felt so good on hers. Warm, soft and inviting. The taste of him lingered when he pulled away for a breath. Quickly his warmth was back as his mouth found her neck, nibbling and teasing along the length of it. She ran her fingers through his hair as tiny shivers electrified her entire body. Wow, the things he could do to her! His hands roamed slowly over every curve of her glowing body – from her slender shoulders to the magnificent curves of her breasts, slowly down her sides to her hips then up over every inch of her beautiful round belly. She let out a few soft moans before lifting his lips back up to hers.

Then it was her turn. She flipped him over so she was straddling him and let her eyes take in his tan, muscled body. Her lips teasingly brushed his, then moved to kiss and nibble along his jaw line, down his neck, across his chest; her fingers tracing the way. It was his turn to moan and whisper her name, "Kens…" She continued her kisses down his body until he flipped them over again, ready to get down to business. She wrapped her legs around his waist, and he

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Out of instinct she reached over to the nightstand. She hit the snooze button and then turned her head to focus on what she was doing just prior to the interruption. Deeks was gone. She blinked her eyes several times and looked around. The other side of the bed was untouched, sheet and blanket undisturbed. "Ugh, not again." Kensi was fully awake now, drenched with sweat. It was going to be a cold shower morning again. She looked down and rubbed her round abdomen. "You know this is your fault, right? These dreams… all these hormones making me think crazy things. You are definitely your father's child, causing trouble already," she laughed.

That night after work, Kensi and Nell went out for dinner and drinks. It had been a while since they had been out together for some girl time.

"I need something strong," Kensi told the waiter.

"Kensi, you can't drink while you're pregnant, can you?" Nell looked at her friend suspiciously.

She sighed and looked back up at the waiter. "I'll have a smoothie, a strong one. If it's a fruit, throw it in there!" Looking back at her red-headed friend, she added, "I can't wait to have a beer again."

They gave the rest of their dinner order before Nell decided to bring up work. "So Kensi, what was going on with you today? Is everything ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why do you ask?" Kensi wondered.

"I don't know, you just seemed a little off. Looked like you were trying to avoid Deeks all day, and you kept to yourself at your desk for the most part. Did you guys have a fight?"

"No. Not a fight," Kensi replied, focusing more on the smoothie that had been set in front of her than on her friend.

Nell knew Kensi didn't like to share her thoughts but she wanted to help. "You look like you have something on your mind Kensi. What's up? Need to talk?"

"Well, I guess you're the only one I could talk to about this. Um, I've been having these, uh dreams lately. I'm sure it's just the hormones, but they have been happening almost every night and I can't stop thinking about them after I wake up," Kensi confessed to her friend.

"What are they about?"

Another sigh. She wasn't sure she should say any more, but she also knew Nell wouldn't let her off the hook now. "They're about Deeks… and me… in some very _intimate_ moments, shall we say." Kensi could feel herself blushing.

Nell smiled and tried to reassure her friend. "I'm sure it's normal. You are having his baby, and I've heard that the extra hormones can cause some pretty wild dreams and increase libido."

"Yeah, um, that's already happened," Kensi said softly.

"Ok… more than I needed to know." Nell cleared her throat before continuing. "Have you talked to Deeks about them? You guys work together, spend a lot of time together and flirt constantly. It's probably just your mind's way of processing everything that's going on. It's like me and the dreams I have about Er – "

"You have dreams like that about Eric?" Kensi interrupted.

"Um, no? No, not at all. That's not what I was going to say," Nell lied, face blushing. She couldn't believe those words had come out of her mouth.

"Hmm, do tell Ms. Jones. What exactly is going on with the two of you upstairs?"

"I thought we were talking about you and Deeks and your sex dreams."

"We were, but this is way more interesting," Kensi grinned at Nell. "Go on. You were saying something about Eric and dreams."

This time it was Nell's turn to sigh. "Now I'm going to need something stronger."

* * *

"I swear that woman is trying to kill me," Deeks said entering the bullpen.

Callen and Sam snapped their heads around to look at Kensi.

"What? I didn't do anything," Kensi protested.

"Actually it's not Kensi. It's… wait, did you do something? Because if you did something and I am just finding out about it now, I'm gonna be pissed," Deeks said.

"It wasn't me, whatever it was. Seriously. I'm just sitting here eating my carrots," Kensi innocently said holding up a little plastic bag.

Callen looked at her. "You're eating carrots? Wow. I thought you said vegetables didn't count as real food." Sam nodded his head in agreement.

"Um, Kens, what is that white powder on the corner of your mouth?" Deeks walked closer to her and gasps dramatically. "You didn't? Kensi, my Sugar Bear, you need help. Powdered sugar? Really? With carrots?"

"They didn't have any flavor. They weren't sweet enough. And the baby wanted it," she replied, placing a hand on her belly.

"Sure…" Sam said from across the aisle.

"Uh – uh. You can't blame everything on my daughter. No way. She is still innocent," Deeks said. Ever since they found out they were having a girl, Deeks had gotten very protective and very proud. She was no longer just a baby or a child; it was always "his daughter", "their daughter", or "baby girl." Kensi loved hearing him talk about their daughter like that, so personal and caring already.

"So back to you, Shaggy. Who's trying to kill you?" Callen inquired.

"Hetty. She's making me do all these extra workouts in the gym. She thinks I have gained some extra weight lately. And I quote, 'A field agent needs to stay in top physical condition in order to achieve high success on the job.'" Deeks said, doing his best impression of their operations manager.

"That was a decent impression of me, Mr. Deeks, and I am glad to see you have been listening to me. But I suggest that you stick to cardio and resistance training instead of voice training. The larynx does not seem to have gained any extra weight, whereas your mid-section has," Hetty stated from out of nowhere, disappearing as quickly as she had appeared.

"How does she do that? Sneaky little ninja…" Deeks noted while taking his seat.

"Now that you mention it, you do look a little fluffier around the middle," Sam said.

"I'm not fluffy, Sam. I'm healthy."

"Fluffy, healthy, some might even call it husky," Callen said dryly.

"Come over here Deeks." Kensi stood up and walked into the center aisle between the desks. She stood belly-to-belly with Deeks, and pretended to be comparing sizes. Then she reached out her hand and rubbed his belly. "Aww, that's so cute." Deeks rolled his eyes and frowned at her.

"Yep, I can see the resemblance now," Callen said grinning.

"I guess I've started picking up Kensi's eating habits a little, since we've been spending so much time together. But that's normal, right? Sam? I mean, I've read about other fathers-to-be gaining weight. It's called sympathy weight or something?" Deeks tried defending himself.

"Deeks, man, I don't know. It never happened to me. I kept myself in top physical condition so I was ready for whatever my wife needed from me," Sam replied.

"Sam… there was that one time…" Callen started to say.

"G, stay out of it. You don't know," Sam replied quickly.

"Oh, but I do know, Sam," Callen stared at him with his trademark grin.

"Do tell, boys. I sense a good Sam story here," Kensi said, resting her chin in her hands and her elbows on her desk. Deeks sat on the edge of Kensi's desk, looking right at Sam.

Callen began and Sam shook his head. "We were out in town, following up on a lead for our case. Suddenly our suspect saw us approaching and took off running."

"Why do they always run?" Deeks interrupted.

Callen continued. "So Sam and I take off after the guy, splitting up so we can box him in down this one alley. I took the end of the alley, farther away from where we started out. I get there, see the suspect and try to tackle him. Sam is nowhere to be seen, but I can hear him yelling to the guy to stop running and just talk to us. Finally, after I have the suspect in cuffs on the ground, my partner over there shows up huffing and puffing like the big bad wolf."

"I think you're remembering it all wrong, G."

"I think my memory is just fine, big guy. So we get back here after dumping the guy off with LAPD, and Hetty suggests we go to the gym for a periodic physical assessment. Little did we know at the time, she had watched the entire chase scene on camera. Both of us had to weigh in, and Mr. 'Top Physical Condition' was actually fifteen pounds heavier than normal!" Callen concluded.

"I don't think it was fifteen pounds. Maybe I gained a little extra weight when Michelle was pregnant, but it wasn't that much. Besides, she loved cooking when she was pregnant – she made everything under the sun. I couldn't say no to her food and disappoint her," Sam explained.

Everyone laughed, and then settled back into their desks and the mountain of unfinished paperwork that had accumulated.

After a few quiet moments, Deeks opened one of his desk drawers to pull out a snack. He was a little hungry after his extra workout. Without looking, he opened the wrapper and took a bite.

"Um, Deeks, what are you eating? No wonder Hetty has you in the gym more often. That looks like a Twinkie to me."

"You're eating one of MY Twinkies?" Kensi looked over at him and cringed.

"What? No, this is one of my low-fat snack b…" He looked down at the snack in his hand. "Ah, crap. See what I mean? I'm eating like Kensi."

"Then here, have one of these. I hear they're delicious!" Kensi threw a carrot stick over to Deeks and hit him squarely in the forehead.

"Thanks."

* * *

_A few days later…_

"Good morning guys," Kensi said to her co-workers as she walked into the bullpen. She sat down at her desk, started up her laptop, and was just about to get started on a pile of reports when she noticed Callen staring at her.

"Can I help you Callen? Why does everyone feel the need to stare at the pregnant woman when she enters a room?" Kensi asked, slightly annoyed.

"Kensi, did you wake up late this morning? Were you in a rush getting ready for work?" he asked.

"No. I actually got a lot of sleep last night and feel decent today. Why?"

"Ok. Did you forget something this morning?" Callen further inquired.

"No, I don't think so. Why? What's up with all the questions, Callen?" Kensi really wished he would get to the point.

"I was just wondering what the special occasion was then, for wearing plaid pajama pants to work. Because I don't think I got the memo from Hetty about pajama day at OSP."

Kensi looked down at herself. She was wearing a white button-down shirt, her usual work boots, her hair was in a ponytail, and, yep – pajama pants with a blue, green and purple plaid pattern on them.

"Oh crap!" she said as she realized what she was wearing. "I thought I felt too comfy for some reason today. There go a few more brain cells. I'm probably below Deeks' level by now. Monty and I can start having conversations on our own."


	6. Chapter 6

_We get a sweet moment between our parents-to-be in this chapter, and then more of Kensi and Deeks being, well, Kensi and Deeks. Enjoy!_

* * *

**CHAPTER 6**

"Oh come on! You can see her ankles shake every time she walks in heels. She's an accident waiting to happen – big liability. Ugh, she is so fake with everyone; why can't you judges see through that? She should never have made it to this round!" Kensi shouted at the TV while watching the latest episode of "_America's Next Top Model_."

Monty lifted his head up off her legs and looked up at her. Kensi pet his head and scratched behind his ears. "I'm not shouting at you, Monty. Relax." He put his head back down and closed his eyes, resuming his nap.

"Are you harassing my poor pooch out there? It's just a TV show. Better take it easy or he will attack," Deeks shouted from his kitchen to Kensi.

"Monty? Attack? Yeah, I'm almost worried," Kensi shouted back. "You love me the best, don't you boy?" she whispered to Monty while petting his head again. Suddenly she gasped and put her hand on her abdomen. She started rubbing over a spot high up.

"What? What is it? Kensi are you ok? Should I get the car? Do you need to get to the hospital?" Deeks dropped everything and ran into the living room when he heard her gasp. He was trying to talk to Kensi and look around the room for his keys and shoes at the same time. She smiled as she watched him running around. He was kind of adorable in panic mode.

"Relax Deeks. I'm ok. Our girl is just a little more active than usual tonight. She kicked me pretty hard. Give me your hand, here," she instructed him, placing his hand right over the spot where she had last felt a kick. "Just wait a minute and you should be able to feel her."

About thirty seconds later, Deeks eyes grew wide and a huge smile grew on his lips. "Was that it? Oh my gosh, that was so cool! Does she always kick so hard?" He couldn't hide his excitement at feeling his daughter moving around. Kensi had talked about feeling her move several times lately, but this was the first time she had shared it with him. It was getting more and more real every day that he was a father – a thought that both excited him and terrified him.

"She's more active tonight than she has been lately. Her favorite spot seems to be towards the top of my belly, and I swear she hooks her toes around my ribs and hangs there like a monkey. It's not exactly the most comfortable for me, but she seems to like it," Kensi laughed.

"Was that her again? She's going to be a strong one, just like her mom," Deeks said looking into Kensi's eyes. "Thank you for letting me be a part of this."

Kensi smiled and put her hand on top of his. "You've always been a part of this, Deeks, and you always will. You're her dad."

He laid on his stomach on the couch and propped his head up on his hands. "Hey there baby girl. I'm your daddy," he spoke to Kensi's belly. "I'm so glad I got to feel you kicking around in there. You're going to be quite the soccer player, or maybe a kick-ass agent like your mom. Whatever you end up being, you will be the best. Just take it easy on your mom and don't kick her too hard. I can't wait to meet you, baby girl. I love you!" Deeks leaned his head forward and kissed her belly. As if in response, the baby kicked at the spot where Deeks had just kissed. He smiled and ran his fingers over that spot. "That's my girl!"

A single tear escaped Kensi's right eye and made its way down her cheek. She didn't even try to wipe it away. Deeks' words were so honest and sweet, and he was completely engrossed in the moment. It was almost as if Kensi wasn't there at all and Deeks was having a private conversation with his baby girl.

Monty got up from the spot on the floor where he had gone when Deeks sat down earlier. He sensed something important was going on and wanted to be a part of it. He walked up to stand in front of the couch and nudged his wet nose in next to Deeks' face and Kensi's belly. He let out a soft whimper and then licked the belly. Kensi and Deeks both laughed and rubbed Monty's head. "Yes, Monty, she knows that her big brother loves her, too."

* * *

"Who knew there would be so many choices?" Kensi wondered aloud while looking at a brochure. She was sitting on the couch in the bullpen area, putting her feet up.

"Choices for what?" Callen asked.

"How to have a baby. You can pick to have a baby at the hospital, at home, at a birthing center, in a tub or pool, standing up, sitting down, squatting, or lying down. You can have music playing or a movie in the background or complete silence. You can have candles or incense or natural light; you can choose to have a whole party of people with you or just do it alone. You also get to pick whether you want a doctor, a nurse practitioner, a midwife, a doula, a coach or any combination of those," Kensi said shaking her head. "I thought you just show up, the doctors do their thing and pop - out comes baby."

"Fern, having a baby is the most natural thing in the world. You can customize your birth experience so it's just what you want," Deeks said walking over to the couch.

"I'm glad you feel that way. This is for you, and yes, you are expected to be there with me," Kensi said while shoving a brochure in his hands. "Oh, and you might want to lay off the '_Baby Story_' episodes – you're starting to sound creepy with how much you know about birth."

"Starting to?" Sam laughed.

Deeks sauntered over to his desk and looked at the paper in his hands. He opened the cover. "Oh. My. Gross! Did I say childbirth is natural? I meant supernatural. Ugh, why would they put a picture of that in the brochure? I think that's actually a scene from Alien," Deeks said making gagging sounds.

"It's a childbirth class we're supposed to take, Deeks. You are coming with me every Tuesday night for the next three weeks," Kensi informed him matter-of-factly.

"Do I have to?" he whined. Kensi glared at him.

"I mean, what I really mean, is that I would love to, Princess. I would, but I know you tend to be independent and insist you can do it all on your own, so I don't want to get in the way. And Tuesdays are when I have that, um, thing, with that one guy, you know? Plus I know Nell is so excited about the baby. I bet she would love to go with you," Deeks babbled on.

"You're coming with me Deeks. This is your daughter, too, and you WILL be there. Unless you want me to tell YOUR daughter that you couldn't be bothered to support her mother during the grueling labor process to bring her into this world." Kensi folded her arms over her large belly and kept up her intense glare at him.

"No! I mean, yeah. Yeah, it would be a privilege to be there with you. I can't imagine a better time. Count me in," he replied hastily.

"I thought so."

* * *

Kensi sat in the waiting room at her doctor's office. Since it was an OB/GYN clinic, most of the women there were pregnant or had tiny infants with them. To pass the time until her appointment, she decided to answer Deeks' texts. He was on a stake out with Nell for their newest case, and had already sent Kensi fourteen text messages in the last half hour. She knew if she didn't answer him soon, the messages would get more and more absurd. Typical bored Deeks on a stake out. She chuckled to herself as she thought about Deeks and Nell fighting over the radio station; Deeks would undoubtedly try to pull the "more experienced on a stakeout" card to put on his preferred station, while Nell would pull out her badge, tell him "actual federal agent" and change the station. Kensi typed her reply to Deeks, hit "send," and waited for yet another message from him. A small group of women behind her were talking about their pregnancies, comparing due dates and preparations. One woman, who wasn't due until several weeks after Kensi, said that she had the entire nursery ready and was starting to wash all the baby clothes she had bought. Another woman talked about car seats and safety inspections. A third woman had shown pictures on her phone of some crafty thing she had made for the baby.

Kensi started to feel anxious. She hadn't done any of the things those women were talking about. Was she behind? Should she have all that finished by now? The only baby clothes she had were some her mom bought and brought over when she first learned she was going to be a grandma. Kensi took mental notes of things she needed to talk to Deeks about, and hoped she didn't forget any of it.

"Kensi Blye?" the nurse called out. It was her turn. Her appointment was uneventful. The baby was growing well, and Kensi's health was doing good, too. After scheduling her next appointment in a few weeks, she took a chance and called Deeks. He was back at the office already; the stake out had been a bust.

"Hey Sunshine, how was your appointment? Yeah, ok, that's good," Deeks spoke into the phone. "Hold on, slow down. What now?" There was a pause on his end while he listened to Kensi speak fast, listing everything they needed to do apparently as soon as possible.

"Kens, do we have to go buy everything today? That's a lot of stuff… Yes, I know she will be here in ten weeks… Yes, this is important to me, too." He frowned and held the phone away from his ear a bit as she went on and on about something she heard in the waiting room. He waited for his turn to speak.

"You know the baby won't actually be crawling or walking for several months, right? Some of this can wait… Yes, I want our daughter to be safe… No, I'm not trying to be lazy or get out of anything… Of course I understand that you are working hard to provide a safe haven for her to develop right now… I am trying to do my part," Deeks sighed into the phone.

"How many pediatricians do you want to interview? Wow, that's a lot! Does our insurance even cover all of those? Yes, I want the best for her… No, I'm not going to just pick a name out of a hat… Of course, I would love to go with you to see them all."

Deeks made a face and waited for her next outburst to end.

"I'm not going to win this one, am I? Can we at least talk about this later, at your place? Over dinner? Ok, I'll see you then." He finally hung up the phone and sat down. At least payday was coming that Friday.

* * *

_next chapter... "Things are going to change," Deeks said. "Things have to change." Hmmm, what is he talking about? And a shopping trip for the expectant duo!_


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7**

_Later that night, at her place…_

Deeks walked out of the kitchen carrying two plates. He set them down on the coffee table amidst some empty cups and take-out containers. After pushing some presumably clean laundry aside, he sat down on the couch. Kensi waddled over with a beer for him and a bottle of water for her, and took a seat next to him.

"Hey Kens, you know with our daughter, things are going to change," Deeks said.

Kensi tensed a bit and braced herself for the conversation she knew would happen at some point, yet wasn't sure she wanted to have. They had been dancing around their thing for a long time. While it had been nice having all this attention from Deeks, was it about her, or just about the baby? She didn't want a relationship based solely on the fact that they shared a child.

Deeks continued, looking around her apartment. "I don't think a landfill is the right environment to raise a child in. Maybe you should think about getting rid of some stuff, or at least putting it away," he grinned.

"That's what you wanted to talk about – the state of my apartment? It's not that bad," she said looking around, a little relieved that he was just harassing her for the mess and nothing more serious. She took a bite of the spaghetti Deeks had made them for dinner.

"You could lose a child in all this stuff. I can barely tell what color the carpet is… or do you have hardwood floors? I forget, because it's been so long since I've seen them," he joked.

"Very funny, Beach Boy. I like my place the way it is – it has a real 'lived-in' feel," Kensi explained.

"If that's what you want to call it," Deeks said rolling his eyes. He paused for a moment before continuing. "I was serious, though, about things changing. We're having a baby. Things are going to change. Things have to change."

"How do you mean?" Kensi asked.

"Meaning you and me. Us. Our relationship with each other. No matter what, it's going to change. It has changed already in some ways," Deeks clarified for her.

"Nothing has changed. We're still us, only I'm fat and round now," she joked.

Deeks remained serious. "That's not what I mean Kens. And you are beautiful, don't ever doubt that. Look, we spend a lot of time together, which I enjoy. We hang out, we eat together, and we watch movies and TV together. We've been doing baby-related things together, like those childbirth classes and doctor appointments. But almost every night, I go home and sleep in my own bed. Unless we carpool, I see you at work the next morning and we go on about our day. That's not what I want anymore. It's not enough for me. I want the "us" that we actually have but are too afraid to admit to out loud. I want to be more than just the baby daddy and the awesome partner." He paused, giving her a chance to absorb his words.

And there it was. Her heart rate quickened and she could feel butterflies in her stomach from her nervousness; or was that the baby moving? Either way, she wasn't prepared for this conversation right now but couldn't think of a way to get out of it.

"We haven't talked about where our daughter is going to live – your place or mine," Deeks continued. "Are we going to have two nurseries in two apartments and shuffle her back and forth, or have her live with just one of us and the other parent can visit as often as they want? I want the happily-ever-after family; all of us living together in the same home so that I can be here for every moment with you and our daughter. I want to be completely involved in her life, and active in raising her with you. I want a chance to be the father I never had," Deeks almost pleaded.

"You already are," she said, trying to hold back the tears pooling in the corners of her eyes. She was thinking about her own father, and how much he was around for her growing up, not including his deployments. She thought about everything he had taught her, and how so much of the woman she was now was because of her dad's involvement in her life. "You are already an amazing father, Deeks. I couldn't get through this pregnancy without you. I already know that I can't raise her on my own. She's the luckiest little girl to have you as her dad."

"What do you want Kensi? What do you want for yourself, for us, for our family? I'd really like to know," Deeks asked her. Kensi looked away just staring at the far-off wall and was very quiet.

_Don't shut down on me now, sunshine_, he thought, but he didn't want to push her. He waited patiently just sitting quietly next to her. After what seemed like an eternity, Kensi slowly turned her head back to face him. Her eyes were still brimming with moisture. She took a deep breath before she spoke.

"You… you're absolutely right Deeks. We have been too afraid to name whatever it is we have, me probably more so than you. I think I've used this pregnancy as an excuse to keep putting this conversation off, focusing only on the baby. The truth is that I've been so afraid of things changing between us that I hadn't really stopped to notice that they have already changed. You are so much more than the baby daddy and my partner. You are my best friend, the most amazing man I know, an incredible lover, and you have been my rock through everything we've experienced together," Kensi said softly and slowly, voicing her thoughts as they came to her. "We've been avoiding the subject for so long, and pretending like there isn't anything between us, so how do we go from that point to living together? Do you think we can make it work - to live together in the same place and not end up hating each other over time? I don't think it's fair to be shuffling a baby back and forth between two homes all the time, but I don't know if we're ready to make that big of a step right now." Kensi looked down at her hands, which were perched on top of her belly.

Deeks placed his hands on either side of her face; his thumbs stroked her cheek bones. "I could never hate you. Never. Kensi, you know how I feel about you. I've never tried to hide it. For a while now I have wanted to talk to you about our thing – to actually acknowledge it and move forward in our relationship – but I didn't want you to think it was just because of our baby. I would feel this way about you even if you hadn't gotten pregnant." He dropped his hands to hold hers.

"What if living together screws it up? What if it screws up everything we have already? That wouldn't be fair to our daughter or to either of us." Kensi couldn't hide the nervousness in her voice; she had already admitted a lot more than she had planned to.

"Kensi, I know this has to be scaring you. I know it's hard for you to think about making a commitment to someone after the hurt and loss you have already experienced in your life. But I have never left you, and I am never going to leave you. I promise. It's time to stop living in the 'what-ifs' and 'maybe's' of every situation, and live for here and now," Deeks explained. "I honestly think we are ready for this, for us and living together and being a family. For everything. Plus I've already learned how to step over large piles of stuff on my way to the kitchen or bathroom or, well, anywhere from the front door really, so that's not a worry. I think living together will be a breeze," he joked.

Kensi smiled at him, a sense of calm returning. "There you go again. I get all worried and upset and freak out about something, and you know just the right things to say to make me feel better."

Deeks tucked a strand of hair back behind her ear and kissed her on the cheek. "How many times do I have to remind you? That's my job as your… everything; that's what I do – make you smile."

Kensi stared into his perfectly azure eyes, the eyes that could see past all her walls to the real her. "I think I know what I want, but can I have a few days to think it over? This is a big decision, for all of us," she asked him, yawning. She rested Deeks' hand on her belly where she had just felt a kick.

"Take all the time you need. I'm not going anywhere but by your side," Deeks answered her. "Why don't you go to bed? I'll clean everything up. And, good night my little princess," he said as he kissed her belly.

* * *

After thinking things over for a few days and trying really hard not to over-analyze, Kensi decided she really did want to move forward with Deeks, like they had talked about. He moved into her apartment a week after that, with some help from their teammates. Her place had slightly more square footage and an extra bedroom that would be the nursery. The next weekend it was time to go shopping for baby things. As they walked in from the parking lot at the baby superstore, Kensi mumbled something to Deeks about his pace.

"What was that, Sunshine? You can't see my stunning face?" he teased. He had heard her request perfectly clear, but it was much more fun to push her buttons.

"Could you please slow down, and walk a little slower?" she asked him. She hated that she wasn't in the same physical condition as she used to be pre-pregnancy. She couldn't walk as fast anymore, and her hips and lower back would ache more often. "I feel like I'm a freaking duck. All I can do is waddle around," she admitted out loud. Deeks smiled to himself and slowed down to wait for her, but said nothing.

"Are you feeling ok?" Kensi asked him when she caught up to where he was standing. "No witty comeback? No clever comment about my waddle?"

"Nope. I'm keeping my mouth shut and am going to enjoy this shopping experience," Deeks simply said. Kensi looked at him, then stopped in place and looked up at the sky.

"Everything ok? What are you looking at?" he inquired. It was a typical sunny day in LA, with clear blue skies.

"I'm just watching for the flying pigs. They should be appearing any time now," she replied with a smirk on her face. He smiled back at her and walked into the store. They stopped at the service counter to sign up for the baby registry, which Nell had specifically told them to do. She said everyone needed gift ideas for the upcoming baby shower she was throwing them. After getting the necessary information, the woman behind the counter handed them the scanner gun with instructions on how to use it.

Deeks stuck his hand out to grab it. "That's mine!" he said getting a goofy smile on his face, like a kid in a toy store. "This is going to be fun. Shall we?" Kensi rolled her eyes as she listened to Deeks hum the theme from "Mission Impossible" and watched him sneak around corners, ducking behind the occasional display. He aimed the scanner at an item's barcode and pulled the trigger. "Bam! And that's how it's done!"

Kensi just laughed. "You'd think I had one child already."

They made their way to the bedding section and looked at the options. Deeks found a very frilly, very pink princess-themed set he liked. Kensi vetoed it, saying it was way too pink for her. She picked out a set that had black, white and red geometric shapes and patterns. Deeks shook his head no. "That looks like a math problem you have to solve, not something to put in a baby's room. The poor girl would go blind," he protested. Then he picked up a set that had soft greens, yellows and creams with baby safari animals on it.

"Nope, I don't like that one, Mr. Jungle Cat," Kensi said. She showed him some bedding with a pink and olive-green camouflage pattern.

"Ooooh, how about this one?" she asked excitedly.

"And that would be a no, sniper girl." Deeks frowned. "Are we ever going to find something we agree on? This is harder than I thought."

A swirly pattern in pastel colors was turned down for being too busy, and a pink and brown set was vetoed for being too trendy. Finally, just as Kensi's patience (and bladder) was running out, they found something they both agreed on. This set had lady bugs in bright pink, red and green colors. Not too trendy, not too frilly, just the right amount of what each of them liked.

They purchased the big furniture pieces and the matching accessories, and brought them home that same day. After dragging the boxes into the nursery, Deeks got down to business. He wanted to put them together right away so they could decorate and get it all looking perfect.

"You've never used a tool in your life, have you? Other than a lock pick and the those needed to clean your gun, I mean," Kensi asked him.

"Yes, I have," he replied, slightly annoyed that she would doubt his prowess with all those metal doohickeys and thing-a-ma-jigs in the toolbox.

"Ok, tell me the difference between this screwdriver…" she said holding one up, "…and this one."

"Um, this one has a little plus sign thing on the end, and that one doesn't," he responded.

She rolled her eyes. "Good luck Bob Villa! I gotta pee," she said, walking out of the room.

"Hey, I'm the dad here, and this is what dad's do – put stuff together. Just trust me," Deeks called out after her. For the next three hours Kensi was banned from entering the nursery. She sat in the living room with her feet up on the couch, trying really hard not to get up and see what was going on with all the strange sounds and words coming from the end of the hall. Finally he emerged and escorted her to the nursery.

"Ta da!" Deeks exclaimed. He had put together the crib, the changing table, a rocker/glider, and put all the drawer pulls on the dresser drawers. Everything looked perfect and there were no leftover pieces. Kensi was very impressed.

"Thank you," she said and gave him a big hug. "It looks wonderful."

"And now I need a beer or two," Deeks said walking out to the kitchen.

* * *

_This was kind of a long chapter, but some conversations take longer than others. Seems like Kensi and Deeks are finally on the same page with most things. She's getting down to the end of her pregnancy but there are still some adventures in store for the expectant parents. I think two more chapters in this story before the end... Enjoy!_


	8. Chapter 8

_Ok, wow! I am still blown away by the response to this story! Over 40 reviews and over 100 follows and favorites! THANK YOU so much! We're getting down to the end of the pregnancy, so how about a party?_

* * *

**CHAPTER 8**

"What time are we supposed to be there?" she asked as she came back from the bathroom. They were finally letting her out of the office to go to the boat shed. Even though it wasn't to interrogate a suspect or witness, she was relieved to get out from behind her desk.

"I don't know. I don't remember. It should be on the invitation," Deeks said lazily from his own desk.

"Where is the invitation?"

"I put it on your desk."

"Deeks, haven't you learned anything in all our years together? Anything at all? Never, ever put anything on my desk that you want me to see. Ever. You might as well drop it into a black hole," Kensi replied anxiously. She started looking through the piles on her desk.

"Do you ever wonder how they come up with the names for things?" Deeks asked as he leaned back in his chair, his feet propped up on his desk. "Take this work area, for instance," he said gesturing to the space around them. "Bullpen. We are not bulls, nor are we in a pen. We use pens sometimes to write things down, and…"

"… and a lot of bull gets spoken around here," Kensi finished for him. He frowned but was slightly amused. "What does that have to do with anything? Please come help me find that invitation. I don't want to be late for my own thing."

"How about baby shower? Who named it that? I mean firstly," Deeks held up his index finger.

"First," Kensi corrected him.

"Firstly," he said again, "there is no baby yet so there's no baby to shower. And second, there is no actual shower involved. That would be weird, wouldn't it? You give babies a bath, not a shower, and it would just be creepy for a bunch of your friends and family to give you a shower, like with water and bubbles and all that. Baby. Shower. Makes no sense," Deeks concluded.

Kensi looked up at Deeks with her fake annoyed look. "Sometimes I wonder how you ever passed the state bar exam." Suddenly she held up a piece of paper. "We're supposed to be there in twenty minutes! I'm driving!" Kensi yelled as she grabbed her keys off the corner of her desk.

"Oh no you're not, Miss Daisy. You are the guest of honor, and it will be my privilege to drive you to your destination. Besides, they can't start without you," Deeks said. He offered his arm to escort her out and simultaneously snatched the keys out of her hand.

"Who knew your father was such a gentleman?" Kensi said as she looked down at her belly. "Let's go!"

They arrived at the boat shed with a few minutes to spare. Deeks and Kensi walked inside together, her left hand interlaced with his, and her right hand resting on her very round belly. She had realized how handy her growing abdomen had become as an arm rest, and she would really miss that after the baby was born. The main room of the boat shed was decorated in pink – pink streamers hanging from the ceiling, pink balloons tied to table legs and support beams, and a very pink cake on the table. Even the large screen TV had been decorated with little pink cut-outs of a baby buggy – the TV where Eric was joining the party live via video feed from Ops. Someone had to stay behind and keep an eye on things.

"There's so much pink," Kensi whispered to Deeks.

He gestured to her abdomen. "That's because she's a girl, genius." Without looking at his face, she knew he was smirking.

Everyone smiled as the expectant parents walked in. Out of the corner of her eye, Kensi saw Callen and Sam hand some money to Nell and Hetty. Eric spoke up from the TV, trying to whisper, "Nell, I'll give you mine tomorrow."

Kensi rolled her eyes and frowned at her teammates. "You guys had a bet going? On what? Please tell me this isn't one of those stupid 'guess how big my belly is' games."

"No, it's not that Kens. It's about that," a smiling Nell said, pointing to Kensi and Deeks' joined hands.

"We had a bet going about when you two would admit to your thing and get on with it already: before or after the birth," Callen explained. "Nell and Hetty won."

Kensi looked at Nell, remembering all their girls' nights and the confidential talks with her about Deeks. "Nell, isn't that a little bit like insider trading?"

Nell tried to act like she didn't know what Kensi was talking about. She shrugged her shoulders, hugged Kensi, and ushered her over to the group of chairs they had gathered near the table. Kensi was about to sit down when she saw someone standing over by the refrigerator.

"Mom? You came! I'm so glad you're here!" Kensi waddled over and gave her mom a big hug.

"I wouldn't miss this for the world Kensi. I am the grandma after all!" Julia hugged her back, then put her arm around her daughter's shoulders and led her over to where the rest of the group had settled down. Nell got things started, and after some goofy games that Kensi played under loud protest, they all had some of the very pink cake they had seen when they arrived. Once everyone finished eating, Nell announced that it was time for gift opening.

"That's where my expertise comes in," Deeks said, sitting up a little taller.

"You have expertise in opening gifts?" Kensi asked him amused.

"You bet, Fern. One of my top 5 talents, right after shooting, surfing, communicating, and… one that will remain unspoken," Deeks said, suddenly remembering that Kensi's mom was there. His cheeks turned a light shade of red. "Plus I need to inspect everything first to make sure there is nothing harmful for you or our baby girl."

He opened the gift from Hetty first. It was a breath-taking off-white heirloom lace baby blanket. As Deeks held it up for everyone to see, Hetty told one of her many stories from the past. She had met a woman from the Shetland Isles who hand knit this one-of-a kind delicate lace blanket. Hetty had held on to it, waiting for the perfect baby to wrap it in. She decided that this baby was that perfect one. Kensi didn't know what to say, it was so beautiful. Hetty always had the perfect gift.

Sam and Michelle's gift was next. Kensi opened up a white box to find a navy blue baby t-shirt and shorts. On the shirt were the letters "NCIS" in white. It looked like a miniature version of the bullet-proof vests the team wore. After a chorus of "awws" from the group, Sam explained. "I figure if this girl is gonna have Kensi as her mom, she's gonna be pretty bad-ass herself. We wanted to get her used to wearing this early on."

Kensi shook her head and laughed, then thanked the Hanna's. "It's adorable. Thank you!"

Callen got the baby a stuffed animal puppy that kind of looked like Monty, and a teething ring that looked like a donut. He also got her a pair of booties that looked like the boots Kensi wore to work. He said they were for kicking butts like her mommy and daddy do every day.

"Awesome! My daughter is going to be the toughest kid in the daycare," Deeks said proudly.

Sam helped Nell carry over the next gift. It was a large wicker basket filled with a lot of smaller wrapped packages inside. They set it down on the floor in front of Kensi and Deeks, who took turns opening the gifts. There were diapers, wipes, burp cloths, bottles, baby clothes, a swaddling blanket, a pacifier, and several other baby necessities. There was also a pink and purple onesie that said "Grandma's Cutie Pie" on the front. Kensi's mom was beaming with excitement as they opened everything she had placed in the basket.

"Thank you, mom. That's a lot of stuff for one little baby – you really didn't have to, but we really appreciate it. Thank you so much." She brushed the torn paper and ribbons from her almost non-existent lap and stood to hug her mom. Deeks watched the women embrace, happy for Kensi that her mom could be here with her. Then he stood up and hugged Julia as well and thanked her.

Finally, Nell set down the gifts from her and Eric. There was a wrapped, rectangular box, and underneath was an oddly shaped wrapped object. Deeks opened the box first. Inside was a little yellow and blue baby bikini swimsuit, a matching hat, baby sunglasses, and one of those hooded towels. Next he opened the other object. It was a little foam kick board with the words "Baby's First Surfboard" written across the middle. Eric spoke up from the decorated TV screen. "This is so your daughter is all set to go to the beach with her daddy. We figured you would have her out there as soon as she can support her head."

"Perfect my man. Just perfect!" Deeks said to Eric and Nell. "And Uncle Eric can come with anytime!" Kensi said Eric would definitely be going along, because it would be a while before her body would look good in a swimsuit again.

They thanked everyone again for all the gifts. After chatting with everyone for a little while longer, Kensi couldn't hold her yawns in any longer. The closer to her due date she got, the more tired she felt. Deeks noticed her drooping eye lids and frequent yawns, and packed up the car with all the gifts. It was time to go tuck mommy dearest in to bed.

* * *

A week after the baby shower, Deeks and Kensi had almost all the gifts put away. The nursery looked like it was ready for the newborn girl to arrive anytime. Deeks had gotten all of his things unpacked and settled in at their apartment. They were still adjusting to living together in some ways, but for the most the transition was a smooth one.

After watching two hours steady of reality TV shows after work, Deeks started to get restless. "Hey Kens, do you want to go for a walk? It's a gorgeous evening and we haven't been out anywhere besides work for a while."

"Sure, I guess. My doctor said it's good for me to keep moving. Something about keeping joints and muscles in good condition for what's to come," Kensi replied.

Deeks got a wide grin on his face. "What's to come? You mean like kinky after-baby Kensi and Deeks private time? Then let's walk a lot; we've got to keep you flexible and conditioned!"

"Deeks, you know that's not going to happen for quite a while after she's born, right? As in six weeks or so after," Kensi told him. He whined and made a face.

"I know, I know. Here are your tennis shoes. I have to go get mine out of the bedroom," he said, handing Kensi her shoes.

Kensi sat up on the couch from her previous position of lying across the entire length of it. She tried to bend over to put one shoe on, but couldn't. Her waist had disappeared and there was no way she could bend. She picked up her left foot and tried to put it up on her right knee, thinking that would make her foot more reachable. She was wrong – her ankle kept slipping off her knee. Each time she tried, she got more frustrated until she finally threw the shoe across the room. It landed just in front of Deeks as he was coming out of the bedroom.

"Whoa! What did the shoe do to you this time?" he inquired.

"I'm not going anymore. You can go walk with Monty and I'll see you when you get back," she said angrily.

"What's wrong? You wanted to go when I left the room and now you're mad. I wasn't even in the room to do anything!" Deeks protested.

Kensi started to cry. "I – I – I can't put my shoes on. I'm too fat. I can't reach my feet, hell I can't... I can't even see my f-f-feet."

Deeks pulled her into a gentle hug and assured her that everything was alright. He offered to help her put on her shoes, and she reluctantly agreed. He kneeled on the floor next to her.

"And wipe that smirk off your face. I can't reach my feet and it's all your daughter's fault," she pouted at him.

"Why is it always MY daughter when it's something you don't like?"

"Because I said so, that's why," Kensi retorted.

"Yep, you're definitely ready," Deeks said. "Hey Sunshine, did you change shoe sizes?" He tried to put her shoes on but they wouldn't fit.

"No. These are the ones I always wear when I go walking. Why?" she asked curiously.

"I don't think you've worn these for a while, because there is no way these shoes are going on these feet," he answered her.

"AHHHH! I hate my body. First my face, now my feet are swollen. Seriously, can I get any bigger? Is anything else going to puff up on me in these last few weeks?"

"Here, wear these sandals instead. You can just slip them on, they have some arch support, and you did say they are pretty comfy."

"Will you walk slowly, so I can keep up with you?" she asked, regaining her composure. He agreed to walk right by her side, and they headed out. After walking about twenty minutes, they ended up at the beach. Deeks led them to the water's edge, and they took off their shoes and sandals. They strolled hand-in-hand silently and took in the sights and scents of the ocean. Finally Deeks had had enough quiet and _accidentally_ splashed Kensi. She calmly dropped his hand and walked a little further into the water, up just past her ankles. Deeks followed her, and Kensi kicked water up on to his legs with her toes. He looked down at his shorts and then at her with a wild grin. Her laughter quickly changed to a "don't you dare" look and she tried to run past him back to the sand. Deeks was a little quicker and caught her in his arms. She knew she couldn't get away from him, so she enjoyed their closeness. Before walking home, they sat on the sand and watched the sunset. A short distance away a few kids were playing in the sand. Deeks and Kensi both turned their gaze to the young ones. Without saying a word, they knew they were each thinking about the same thing: all the times in the future when they would bring their daughter to the beach. The idea of being a mother was becoming much less frightening to Kensi.

* * *

_So I have the outlines done for the rest of this story, and some parts completely written. Two more chapters to go! Please let me know what you think - I love your reviews!_


	9. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER 9**

Kensi looked up from her desk when she heard the masculine voices in the entrance. Her teammates were back from their day of hunting down suspects, pursuing justice, saving the world, and all those other tasks she wasn't allowed to do for a while yet. She sighed as they walked closer to the bullpen, knowing there was no way she could hide her current predicament.

"Did someone let a cat into the building?" Deeks asked as he looked at his partner.

"No, I know. You started picking at that little thread on the bottom of your sweater, didn't you? Kensi, you should know better than to pull loose threads. See where it gets you," Callen teased, shaking his head at her. Sam didn't say anything, but looked amused at the situation across from him. Kensi was sitting at her desk with knitting needles in her hands and purple yarn tangled all around her hands, arms, laptop, and across her desk. The ball of yarn had rolled off the edge and trailed down to the floor. A video was playing on her laptop, and words like "cast on," "purl," and "gauge" could be heard in the silence before Kensi offered an explanation.

"I wanted to make something for my daughter, something special just from me. They say knitting can be a form of stress relief. I thought if I can handle vicious criminals, foreign languages and forensics, I should be able to figure out knitting. But it's not nearly as simple as this stupid video lesson says it is. Whoever 'they' are should have these knitting needles shoved up their…"

"Uh, why don't you let me have those?" Deeks offered, sliding them quickly out of her hands. "I think your weapons collection is large enough already."

Kensi reluctantly admitted defeat and Deeks helped her get untangled. Eric sauntered over to the railing upstairs and whistled.

"Sorry to interrupt, but arts and crafts time will have to wait. Hetty wants you guys up here for a debrief of today's case," he announced. Kensi stayed downstairs since she hadn't been involved with this case. She was pretty much all caught up with her reports and paperwork, so she walked around the office for a bit before finding something else to do.

When Callen came back down the stairs after the debrief, he couldn't believe his eyes. He stopped on the bottom step and stared. Sam and Deeks had been talking as they descended, not paying attention to Callen. They nearly knocked him over, not noticing that he had stopped dead in his tracks.

"G, man, what the he…" Sam started to say. Deeks was blabbering about rudeness when his gaze found what Callen was still staring at. The jaws of all three men dropped. Several moments of silence followed before Callen found his voice first.

"What are you doing?"

"Who are you? What did you do with Kensi?" Sam added.

"Really? Here? You know they pay people to do that for us, right?" Deeks commented.

They were watching Kensi, who was going back and forth between the desks, lounge area and coffee area. In one hand was a dust rag and the other hand held a bottle of lemon scented cleaner. Near her stood a vacuum cleaner, already plugged in to an outlet. She was wiping down the counter near the coffee makers when her teammates found her. Deeks squeezed past Callen and over to Kensi.

"You should be off your feet and relaxing Kens. We actually have a cleaning service that takes care of this place. Besides, you don't clean… I mean, I assumed you didn't really know how based on the lovely lived-in feel of our home," Deeks joked. "Ow!" he exclaimed a moment later when her fist met his shoulder.

"Even her desk is neat and clean. There is not a thing out of place," Sam noticed. "That's weird."

"Deeks, is this normal for her? Should we be worried? I mean, if you need to take her to the doctor or something, just go," Callen said looking around at how clean their work area was.

"What? Can't a woman do some light cleaning once in a while? I am all caught up with my paperwork, so I thought I could help out with making our work environment a little neater. Have you guys not noticed what a pig sty we work in?" Kensi asked defending her actions.

"Hey guys!" Nell cheerily greeted the team as she entered the bullpen. "Callen, Hetty said she needs to – whoa! What happened here?" she asked as she noticed the vacuum, rags and lack of mess. "It smells really… lemony down here."

"Kensi happened, which is not usually a name you associate with cleaning supplies," Sam said. "Something's not right."

"While we were upstairs, she vacuumed, straightened up her desk, washed the coffee pots and the counter, and wiped down all the furniture. I think she might have a fever," Callen concluded. Kensi stuck her tongue out at him and made a childish face.

Nell started to understand. "Yep, I recognize this now. My sister was the same way towards the end of her pregnancy. They call it 'nesting' when the mother starts getting everything ready for baby: cleaning, cooking, laundry, you name it. I think normally it happens at one's home, but here is good, too. Great job Kensi!"

"So this is supposed to happen at home as well? That would be awesome," Deeks smiled. "I can't wait for the home edition of 'Extreme Kensi Makeover' to begin." Kensi rolled her eyes and moved to put the vacuum cleaner away.

_That night after work…_

"Would you sit down for like 3 seconds? Please? You're making me almost feel bad for not helping," Deeks called out to Kensi. She held out a roll of paper towels to him. "I said almost, Fern. Almost."

Since they had gotten home from work, Kensi had been in non-stop motion in the apartment. Windows had gotten washed, dishes loaded in the dishwasher, dirty laundry picked up off the floor and clean laundry put away. She set a laundry basket of clean baby clothes down next to Deeks that needed to be folded. Kensi was about to go mop the kitchen floor when he forced her to sit down, put her feet up and drink some water.

"Deeks, have you ever looked around this place and noticed how messy it really is?" she asked between sips of water.

"When was the first time I ever came over here? Oh yeah, I think I've been noticing that for about three years now," he answered her with his trademark grin, the one that reached all the way up to his sparkling blue eyes. The same blue eyes that didn't see the throw pillow hurdling across the room at him until it was too late. Kensi grinned back at him before getting up.

"Those floors won't mop themselves. Oh, tomorrow we need to go to the grocery store. There is so much junk food around here; we need some more fruits and veggies. I also want you to teach me how to cook," she said as she pointed her finger at Deeks, who was still lying on the couch.

"I can teach you how to cook, but I think we better add one more thing to the list for tomorrow then: call our agent and increase our renters' insurance policy," Deeks dead-panned. "You really want to learn how to cook? Like real food? Healthy food?"

"You've been working a lot of hours lately, and I will be home for a few weeks once the baby is born. I need to be able to make something edible for us, especially since you took wildebeest off the menu," Kensi smirked.

"Touché!" Deeks called after her. He wondered if this nesting thing was a permanent change or just temporary. He kind of liked it.

* * *

About a week later the nesting instinct had died down, much to Deeks' dismay. Kensi was too tired to do much of anything, and dishes and laundry piled up again. It was getting harder for her to move around. Back aches and joint aches were becoming her new normal, and every day she repeated how happy she was that the end was near. Many days she wanted to just stay in bed and wait for labor to start, even though she had three weeks until her due date.

"Rise and shine, Fern. Time to get up and get ready for work," Deeks said, way too happily in Kensi's opinion. She frowned and tried to ignore him.

"Kensalina, you know you want to get up. There's a thrilling day of desk work ahead of you. Nothing better than stacks of reports to be completed and filed. Ooh, if you're lucky maybe you'll get a cold case to research," he teased her.

"Go away. I'm still tired and you're too happy," she mumbled.

"Well, I'm making buttermilk pancakes from scratch for breakfast, and you can top them with anything you want if you get out of bed."

"You play dirty, detective." She was lying on her back, and tried to roll over on her side to get up. She couldn't. She tried again, pushing herself up with one arm. Still no luck. She lifted one shoulder and then the other in an attempt to rock her body to gain momentum and flip her to her side. Nothing was working.

"Deeks? Um, I need some help. I'm kind of, uh, stuck." Kensi couldn't believe she had just uttered those words. The end was definitely near, in more ways than one.

"What was that?" he asked smiling. It was very rare that Ms. Kensi Blye asked for help, especially from him.

"You heard me. A hand, please?" she asked, holding out her hand. He started to applaud. She gave him a very disgusted look.

"Oh, sorry. Not what you were looking for? What was it again that you needed?" he asked innocently.

She sighed. He was definitely taking pleasure in her misery. He would pay for that – as soon as she could get out of bed. "I can't get up out of bed by myself. It's the mattress; it's too soft and I sank in. Can you please come help me?"

Deeks started laughing. It started as just a quick chuckle but turned into a hearty, belly shaking laugh, complete with tears in his eyes.

"You better shut it Shaggy. It's not funny." Kensi turned her head to the side and glared at him. It had no effect on Deeks.

He wiped the tears away and caught his breath. "I'm sorry, darling, but it is. It really is." He reached out and helped pull her up to a sitting position on the edge of the bed. And then he ran.

* * *

_One more chapter to go - the birth! _


	10. Chapter 10

_Dun-dun-dun! Here it is, the last chapter of this adventure with Kensi and Deeks. The birth of their baby..._

**CHAPTER 10**

Kensi made her way up the stairs, stopping every couple of steps. These stupid cramps - Braxton-Hicks or something – were starting to really annoy her. They had started early that morning. Deeks told her to stay home and rest, but Kensi insisted she was fine and rode in to the office with him. He knew better than to argue with her when she used the "fine" word. She had completed her reports early in the day, so she was headed to ops to help Eric and Nell with a video they had found. The audio part was damaged and they needed Kensi to do some lip reading.

"Hey Kensi, thanks for coming up here to help us out," Nell greeted her. "Here's the segment we need help understanding. It looks like these two men here are having a heated discussion and Hetty would like to know what it's about."

She stood leaning against the center table, facing the big screen. Eric started the video. She had him replay it three times before she felt like she had the conversation deciphered.

"It looks like this man here," she pointed to the screen, "McCarthey maybe? He's asking where the merchandise is. His friend says it was delivered. McCarthey says his men have not seen anything all day and unless… OH!" Kensi suddenly put her hands on her belly and inhaled sharply.

"Are you ok? Should we call Deeks?" Eric asked. Kensi shook her head and insisted she was fine, that the cramps were probably a little worse because she had just climbed the stairs.

"Kensi, how long have you been having these cramps?" Nell asked. "If you are in labor you shouldn't be at work."

"I'm not in labor. I'm fine. I still have two weeks to go. It's just those fake contractions the doctor told me about," Kensi asserted and continued with the lip reading. As she was watching the video, she moved her hands to the small of her back. It felt like the cramps were migrating around now. "_Just breathe, Kensi, it will pass_," she told herself. She remembered that walking around might help, so she started pacing back and forth across ops, still watching the video on the screen. "…unless the second guy could provide proof of the delivery and tell him exactly where his stuff is, there would be trouble. He starts calling McCarthey a liar and asked what game he is playing. That's where McCarthey's phone rings and – OW! Son of a ..." Kensi shouted out. Another wave of pain rippled through her, a little more intense than the last time.

"Seriously, Kensi, I'm calling someone. Deeks or Hetty – it's your choice," Eric said with phone in hand. Before she could answer him, she felt a trickle of liquid running down her legs. Her water broke. Kensi froze, not sure what to do. There was a small puddle on the floor directly underneath her. She stared at the puddle not quite believing what had just happened.

"Nell! I think my water just broke. What do I do?" Kensi asked gripping the edge of the table, nervousness creeping into her voice. Nell ran over to help Kensi. Eric stared at the puddle on the floor, not sure what else to do or where to look, his phone still in hand. "Hetty is so not going to like this. We can't even eat Oreos up here," he fretted.

Nell rolled her eyes and took charge. "Eric, push your chair over here so Kensi can sit down. Then call Deeks at the boat shed and get him back here ASAP. Kensi needs to get to the hospital."

Eric nervously looked from his chair to Kensi and back again. Nell, who was supporting Kensi, got frustrated. "Hello? Eric? Push your chair over here now so Kensi can sit down."

"Um, why my chair? I want to help, I do, it's just that she's all, you know wet, and I don't want my chair to get all, uh, slimy or whatever," he said stammering. Kensi glared at him, and if looks could kill he would have been six feet under. He pushed the chair over in a hurry while grimacing.

"It's just water. It will dry," Nell said to him.

"Yeah, but it's water from inside her… um, ewww," Eric said, but reluctantly pushed his chair over to the women. Then he quickly called Deeks and filled him in on the news. Nell helped Kensi sit down and then ran for some towels. Kensi was holding her belly and trying not to betray the fact that she wasn't feeling fine anymore. Eric was left alone with a grimacing Kensi.

"So, how's it going there?" he timidly asked, afraid to look directly at Kensi.

"Really, Eric?" Kensi rolled her eyes and winced at the pain building more and more in her lower back.

He stood there nervously, looking around for Nell. "_How long can it take to get towels_?" he wondered to himself. "Um, don't you have some breathing thing you can do? Like that 'ha ha, hee hee, ho ho' thing they do in the movies? I heard that's supposed to help with pain management or something," Eric shared with Kensi. She shot him another look. "Right. I'm shutting up now."

Just then he reached up and answered his phone. "Ok, I'll let her know." Eric turned toward Kensi and reported that Deeks was one minute away, with Sam and Callen. Nell came back with some towels and a damp washcloth.

"You're going to be fine, Kensi. Just try to relax; breathe in and out. Let's time your contractions so we know what to tell the doctor." Kensi nodded and tried to focus on breathing with Nell. Eric put a giant stopwatch up on the big screen. They heard pounding footsteps coming up the stairs, and then the doors into ops slid open. Deeks raced in and over to Kensi's side.

"Thanks for showing up," Kensi greeted him with a forced smile. She inhaled sharply.

"How are you doing?" he asked her, leaning over to catch his breath.

"Oh I'm fine. Just hanging out here with my buds Nell and Eric, watching a video. You didn't bring the popcorn?" She paused and looked him straight in the eye. "HOW THE HELL DO YOU THINK I'M DOING, DEEKS? GET ME OUT OF HERE!"

The tech team wished them good luck and Deeks helped Kensi down the stairs and out into the car. They arrived at the hospital in no time. He parked the car, got out and grabbed Kensi's go bag out of the back seat. She had repacked it last week with all the things she would need for the hospital. He shut the car door and started walking up the path when he heard his name being yelled out.

"DEEKS! Deeks – aren't you forgetting something? LIKE ME! Get over here and help me out of the car!" Kensi shouted from the passenger seat.

"_Oh shit_," he thought, and raced over to help her. Once inside, they rode the elevator up to the labor and delivery floor. The nurses attended to Kensi right away while Deeks got her checked in at the nurses' station. After a quick exam, the doctor said Kensi was only dilated to 6, so it would be a little while yet until it was time to push.

"Are you kidding me? I want this over now. Just give me my daughter already," Kensi said frustrated.

"It's pretty normal for a first-time mother to have a longer labor. We can give you something for the pain if you want," one of the nurses said to Kensi.

"No, no drugs. I want to do this naturally. I get shot at for a living and I've been almost blown up multiple times. I think I can handle this. I'm fine!" she shouted at the nurse.

"Kens, princess, I know you're not comfortable, but you have to try to be nice to the nurses. They are our best friends right now," Deeks said, trying to calm her down.

Two hours went by. Kensi's mom stopped in to check on her, so excited about becoming a grandmother. Deeks stepped out to update everyone in the waiting area. He also stopped in the cafeteria to grab a quick bite since he had missed lunch and was starving. Kensi noticed it right away when he walked back into the room.

"What is that? Are you seriously eating that in here?" she asked him.

"It's just a chicken sandwich. I'm starving and didn't get lunch today. I promise I won't make a mess."

"No way, uh-uh. I don't care if you haven't eaten in a week Deeks. I can't eat anything until after she's born, and there is no way you are going to stand next to me eating. Get out in the hall and finish it. I don't want to smell it or even hear the crinkle of the wrapper," she shouted at him.

Hetty stopped in a short while later to see how things were progressing. Kensi had her eyes closed and looked like she was trying to rest between contractions. "How is Ms. Blye doing?" Hetty asked softly.

"She's fine. The doc said she's up to 8 almost 9, so it shouldn't be much longer," Deeks replied.

"I am not fine Deeks. I will never be fine again. How can someone so tiny cause so much pain? Getting shot doesn't hurt nearly as much… OWWWWW!" Kensi yelled out as another contraction rippled through her.

"I'll leave you two alone now." Hetty quickly left. A half hour later the doctor and nurses came back to check, and discovered Kensi had progressed up to a 10.

"Kensi, are you ready to push? Go with the next contraction," the doctor instructed her. She pushed twice and the doctor announced that the baby was crowning. Deeks, who had been focused on Kensi's face, looked down to see for himself when the doctor said the baby's head was visible. He started making gagging sounds and mumbled something about killing the mood forever. The doctor encouraged her to push again with the next contraction.

"I hope she likes being an only child, because I am never doing this again AHHHHHHHHHHH!" Kensi yelled out as she pushed.

"I'm sure you'll change your mind after you look into the face of our daughter. You'll forget about the pain and want at least four more," Deeks said smiling and brushing the hair back off her forehead.

"I think you'll change your mind after you see part of your anatomy missing. But I'm sure you'll forget about the pain when you look at your daughter's face," she hissed back at him, trying to breathe.

"One or two more pushes and she will be out," the doctor said.

"Only one or two more. You can do it Kensi! Let's meet our baby girl," Deeks encouraged her, looking straight into her eyes and holding her hand in his.

"I'm too tired. You take over now, ok?" Kensi said turning her head to the side.

"Come on, Fern, you're doing great."

"And you would know because you've done this before?" she shot back.

"Good point. You are so close now. Show 'em that bad-ass agent I know and love!" Deeks told her.

She didn't have time to respond to his use of the "L" word as another contraction hit her fast and hard. Kensi just nodded and found a new reserve of strength inside her. She squeezed Deeks' hand so hard he saw stars, as she pushed and screamed. They heard the shrill sound of a newborn cry. Kensi panted and tried to catch her breath as the doc laid a tiny, wrinkly girl on her chest. Tears fell uncontrollably down Kensi's cheeks. She gently traced the baby's cheek with her finger. "You're here sweet girl. You are so beautiful. I'm your mommy and I love you so much."

"Congratulations on your girl," the doctor said. "Dad, do you want to cut the cord? Take these scissors and snip right here," he told Deeks. The new father cut the cord hesitantly, not completely convinced he wasn't doing something horrific to Kensi or his daughter. Then he turned his attention to his baby girl and the beautiful woman holding her. Tears were streaming down his face as well.

"She's really here! Oh my gosh, she's beautiful, just like you Kensi." Deeks babbled on, overcome by emotions. Two of the nurses took the baby to finish cleaning her up and testing her, while a couple other nurses attended to Kensi. Deeks ran out to the waiting area to give everyone the exciting news.

* * *

An hour later, the new family was all settled in Kensi's room. Kensi was lying in bed trying to rest while the baby slept in her bassinet. Deeks sat proudly and protectively near both of his girls. His daughter started to fuss, so he picked her up before Kensi woke up. She was pretty worn out from giving birth. Deeks rocked his baby girl in his arms and spoke gently to her.

"Hey there precious. I'm your daddy. I love you and I will always be here for you. I'm going to be your biggest fan throughout your life. You and your mommy mean the world to me and there isn't anything I wouldn't do for the two of you. I hope you always remember that." She settled down and fell back asleep in her father's arms. Deeks wiped away the stray tear that had found its way down his cheek while he was talking. Kensi had been lying there with her eyes closed, but was not asleep. She smiled as she heard Deeks talking to their little girl. Her life was definitely going to be different now, but in a very good way.

The door to her room swung open a little. A brunette head resembling Kensi's own peaked in.

"Is it ok if I come in yet? I'm not sure I can wait much longer," Kensi's mom said with a bright smile.

"Of course, come on in Grandma," Deeks told her. She sat down in the chair he had just vacated and touched her daughter's hand.

"Kensi, I am so proud of you. I love you."

"Thank you mom. I love you, too. Are you ready to meet your granddaughter?" Kensi asked, yawning. Deeks laid the little girl in her grandma's waiting arms. Julia's smile got even bigger as she stared at the pink bundle in her arms.

"Kensi, she looks so much like you did. I remember the first time I held you in my arms just like this. My heart was just bursting with love and I didn't think I could ever love that much again. But being a grandmother is pretty close," Julia said as her own tears formed. "Your father would be very proud of you, too."

The door opened again, and this time a crowd of faces appeared. Deeks nodded and in came the rest of the team. Nell was the first one over to Kensi's side, trying to quietly suppress her squeal at the sight of a baby. Eric followed behind her, then Callen, Sam and Hetty made their entrance. They all politely said hello to the new parents before focusing on the main star, who was sleeping in her grandma's arms. One by one, they each took a turn holding the newest team member and welcoming her. Eric, who is usually a nervous mess if he isn't holding his tablet, was a natural. Callen, usually the calm and collected one, got anxious holding someone so small and fragile. Sam cuddled her just like he had his own babies. Hetty whispered something to the baby, no doubt some wisdom from a far off time and place, and snuggled her up like another grandma. Nell held her last, smiling the whole time. For someone with an IQ off the charts, she couldn't come up with one thing to say. She was so happy for her friends and co-workers, and was completely taken by this bundle of cuteness she was holding. Reluctantly she handed the little princess to Kensi.

"She is really beautiful," Sam said to Kensi and Deeks. "You guys do good work."

"Thanks Sam. I think it's all her doing; I was just along for the ride," Deeks answered, pointing to Kensi.

"I have a feeling the adventure is just getting started, Mr. Deeks. Your family has a long future ahead of you – may it always be a happy one," Hetty said with a smile.

Kensi spoke up after being quiet for most of the visit. "I can't imagine being happier than I am right now. I know there are going to be lots of unexpected moments as she grows up, but she has an amazing father and I am going to do my best to be a good mom. We also have the best support system anyone can have – all of you." She turned the little girl around in her arms and held her facing the group assembled there. "Welcome to your family, my sweet girl."

* * *

_So there it is - the happy little family. I hope you liked all the expectant moments they encountered along the way. Please let me know what you think of the ending, or of the story as a whole. And THANK YOU all for reading, for all the reviews and inspiration, and all those who have been following __this story__ and making it a favorite . It means a lot to me! _


	11. Chapter 11

_Not a proper chapter, but more of a note..._

_Ok - wow! __Thank you for all the feedback and reviews of this last chapter__! I wanted to address a common theme in almost all of the reviews... the name of the baby girl. I purposely didn't name the baby in this chapter, because the storyline wasn't focusing on the baby as her own person, but on her parents and their adventures and moments. For my literary purposes, the baby girl's role is more important than naming her as a specific character. I didn't do it to be mean or cold or anything like that (I am a parent of two myself and love children!). I guess I didn't realize there would be such a strong desire from you readers for her to have a name - I love that you are involved in the story enough to care about that kind of detail!_

_Names had been swimming through my head during the writing of this story, and the name I would give her if I was continuing this story or doing a sequel (which could be a possibility some day, depends on my inspiration) would be Anna. So for those of you who really want a name for the baby, meet Miss Anna Marie Deeks._


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